Author: Maria Runs

Persuading you to Parkrun!

Hey! Now I may have only been to Parkrun twice, but I love it! And I hope that other people might share my enthusiasm.

I love the fact that Parkruns are free- compared to a lot of timed runs/ races which can be really expensive (they are not officially races, just timed runs), and they have a great community feel. To join all you have to do it go to the Parkrun website, register, and print out your personal barcode. Then you turn up at whichever one you want to go to (they mostly seem to be 9am on a Saturday), making sure you bring your barcode with you (you need it after you have finished so if someone comes to watch they can hold it for you, but it is only small so fits in a pocket). This morning I picked up my brother, and parked up at about ten to 9. We walked up to the start line (along with nearly 200 other runners!) and the person starting the race went through the route, congratulated people who had anniversaries (it was hard to hear as I was near the back)- we all gave them a round of applause anyway. The bells on the local church began to chime for 9 o’clock, and then we were off!

I didn’t think I would be as fast as last time, as my Dad was a pretty great pacer, plus I have missed 2 weeks due to going on holiday so don’t think I am quite back to normal. But after the first half a mile I glanced down and noticed the pace began with an 8. What??? The weather was perfect- cool and overcast. I had opted for capris and a vest, although a lot of people had jumpers or jackets. A little later the sun came out and it suddenly got very warm. I glanced down again and saw I was still going at 8 something minute miles. A little later (running into the wind, which was not that strong) I noticed a 9 which was what I expected more- I knew I was slowing. After 2 miles my brother caught up with me, and I told him I was slowing down whereas he told me he was speeding up! I told him I would see him at the finish line, and off he went. The St Albans route goes along a path, around a small lake 3 times, and then back along the path again. It is pretty flat, but when you leave the lake there is a short but quite steep section to get back up to the path, and I found that tough. My brother told me he tries to speed up on the final lap of the lake and then take the hill a little slower. Anyway, at that point I saw my watch was on 24 mins, and the first time I ran it, my time was 27.12. I could see the finish but I was not sure how far it was. I decided to go flat out to try and get as close to my last time as possible. My brother was just ahead of me and I went past him, and then I heard someone thundering past me- I thought it was him but it was a girl who got there a split second ahead of me! When you reach the finish you go through a little “chute”, someone has a timer, and someone else hands you a little plastic chip with a barcode on it. It is a very clever system. My brother was seconds behind me, and I think the first thing I said was “I feel sick”- I really did, although as I wait until after for breakfast I told myself I would not be. I had pushed myself hard though. Anyway, after a minute I was fine. Then we joined the queue, and this is when you need your paper barcode. You hand that and the little plastic chip to some other volunteers, and they scan them. By then it was raining a little, and I was getting cold, so we headed back to the car (I had left my jumper in there), but there were lots of people cheering in the runners- it is all very encouraging.

The other thing that I love is the email (although mine doesn’t seem to come through, which does not matter as you also get sent your links which you can click on to see the results, in fact I think you can just look for them for any Parkrun if you know people running them/ just feel nosy!)- it lists all the people who took part, their time, their pb, age grading, overall position and gender position. I could go on for hours about that! Today there were 197 people running (crazy!)- the first person finished in 17.34, and the last finisher was 40.16. There were children, serious club runners, older people; a huge mixture really. I was the 130th person to finish, and the 26th girl out of 71. Not bad really!

Also I love it that they are all over the place. Next weekend we are going to Dorset for the weekend, and I was quite tempted by the idea of going to Poole Parkrun, although we are staying in a different hotel on the Friday night so I am not sure if it will be practical. But my Dad did the Wimbledon one when he was working there for the tennis and I am sure a lot of people go to different ones. I think you would have to look on a map at the route just to check you know it, but there are marshals (volunteers- they do ask you do help out at a couple of runs per year if you can) on the routes too.

So, if you are tempted I say go for it! I probably won’t go every week as I do prefer to do my long run on Saturday morning, and it is too far for me to run there and combine it with a long run. But I think once a month or so will be good. I think I got really into the plodding along on longer runs, and I think a short sharp run is good for me too.

I looked on my Garmin when I got home and my miles were 8.46, 8.54, 8.56 (slowing all the way!) and then 8.08 for the last little bit- I did try to sprint! Not bad, but I looked back at my last one and I sped up each mile for that one- I think that is the better way to go.

After that I dropped my brother off and headed home for shower and breakfast.

Yummy! Mango coconut water, some mango, pineapple and melon, and a bowl of muesli and puffins (we bought them on holiday- we tried them in the summer and both loved them!). Delicious (and I have just found they are on i-herb too, I might be tempted…).

I have a lot of work to do this weekend, so I did some of that (partly why the Parkrun is so good is because I was home and out the shower by 10am so had a lot of the morning left), did some cleaning, had some lunch and then popped out to the shops for a break.

I needed a few bits in Boots, and saw the Naked hair conditioner (I think I have seen this on a couple of blogs) so decided to give it a go. Debenhams were having a sale so I picked up a bargain top (£6!) and that summery peachy/ pink cardi.I treated myself to an ice chai latte (in my cup- saved 25p!!) and then got myself and my Mum some flowers in Waitrose. Also, the free paper this weekend has a voucher for the posh Twinings tea- I have had my eye on the Gingersnap peach tea for ages, so I am going to use the voucher for that- I love a good freebie!

Then I popped to see my Mum, and then came home for more cleaning, and more work. I am making a chickpea stew for dinner, which can cook while I do my work (ahem, this is a little brain break for me!).

I feel like it has been a productive and enjoyable Saturday 🙂

Would you be tempted to go to a Parkrun? Or if you go already what do you love about it? Did you have a good Saturday?

Bringing up the rear

Hey everyone, I hope you are all making the most of the glorious spring sunshine before we are back to overnight frosts!

I treated myself this week to an order of the new Trek flapjacks.

When I saw they were doing a flavour with coconut I could not wait to try one, and I was not disappointed. The bars have big flakes of coconuts in them, so the flavour really comes through. Delicious! The ingredients list is not as natural as a nakd bar (the chocolate coating has some sugar in it etc) but it probably compares to a Clif bar in the end, and I love those too. I had half at break time and half in the afternoon to keep me going. They have some other flavours but I imagine that the coconut is the best one! (Also if you want a 10% off code then leave a comment and I will email you).

Last night I went to the Sweatshop run. My brother has come along for the last few weeks, which has been great as we don’t see each other that much normally. We run at a pretty similar speed, and that has turned out even better as all the slower people seem to not come any more. I had worked my way to the middle of the pack (sometimes even keeping the group leaders in sight) but now I am right back to the back of the pack again. I don’t really mind because in the end you just measure against yourself, but I was finding it tough (the first mile was done in something like 8.48, so very fast for me) and those doubts starting creeping in. Not for long though. It was so hot though- I wore my Sweatshop t-shirt but I think it is time for vests now really- a few people asked me if I was OK as I had such a red face by the time we got back! Nope, that is just the colour I go in the heat!

I am off to pump tonight and am going to use the lesson I learnt last week and go slightly lighter on some of the weights as I massively struggled last week (I know it should be tough, but I had to stop a few times which shows the weights were too much).

I am hoping to go to Parkrun on Saturday morning, so I don’t want really achy legs for that.

Do you ever get that back of the pack feeling?

Family recipe for a documentary

Hello everyone,

I received an email the other day asking if I would pop this on my blog in case any readers are interested:

My Family and Other Recipes

 

An exciting new documentary series calling out for people who have a special recipe that has been passed down through their family and a story to tell.

 

Do you have a family recipe, passed down the generations, that you want to share with the nation?  We want to discover where your recipe came from and what it tells us about your family history.

 

Whether it is Saltfish, Ackee & fried dumplings, Roast Beef & Yorkshire pudding, Lancashire Hot Pot, Neeps, Tattiess & Haggis or Mattar Kachori – this is the food that brings families together and takes us back to our roots.

 

We are looking for a charismatic personality who enjoys cooking and has an exciting family background. We look forward to hearing from you.

 

To apply:

Email: heloise.revel@springfilms.tv

Good luck if you decide to apply!

Do you have any family recipes? I wish that my stollen recipe was from my Grandma (who was Austrian) but it is not- I don’t think I have any family recipes really.

Back to baking!

Ah baking, how I have missed you. But yesterday I got back in to it, with a lime, coconut and ginger cake.

I used the same basic recipe for the Lemon and Blueberry traybake I made a while back, but I swapped in lime zest and juice for lemons, left out the blueberries, added 50g coconut, and a few chunks of chopped crystallised ginger.

I was sent some Bake Even cake strips to try out, from the Cake Decorating Store website, and I used them for the first time in this recipe.

You have to soak the strips before you use them (only for a bit), and then you wrap them around the cake tin. I had to secure them with pins- for some reason I had thought they would have velcro or something, but I suppose they are completely adjustable so that would not work. I used two to go around my brownie pan, as one did not quite reach, but overlapping them is fine (according to the instructions).

I was worried it would slide off, so I put the tin on a tray too. The idea is that they help to distribute the heat evenly, so you get an even rise, and the cake is cooked the same all the way through (no cracked tops, uneven rising etc).

I was very impressed when it came out of the oven- the cake was perfectly even in colour and in height. I think these would be great to use when baking fruit cakes as they need so much longer in the oven so can become more uneven. Although next time I will use safety pins to hold the strips on.

I made up the syrup (lime juice+zest+sugar) and poured it over the warm cake.

Mmmm delicious zingy lime cake. I left it to cool overnight before I sliced it today so that the icing would set and sink in.

On to some random food photos from the week. Yesterday Andy made a lovely sweet potato chilli (he has made it before for us and it is delicious)- I decided to make some guacamole. I have been reading a book by Scott Jurek- it is half autobiography and half recipes (I think it is called Eat and Run) and the other evening I read his guacamole recipe. On holiday we treated ourselves to a Cheesecake Factory guacamole (they make it up fresh when you order it) and so I attempted to re-create this as I have been dreaming about it ever since. It contained avocado, sea salt, freshly squeezed lime juice and chopped cherry tomatoes. I did consider adding a little bit of chilli but as we were having that in the sweet potato chilli I thought a cooler guacamole would be better. It was wonderful. Mmm. And Andy even said it tasted like the Cheesecake Factory one 🙂 I had it with some iced tea as I had just spent the last hour and a bit planting out onions in the allotment.

As the weather has been getting warmer I have been making salads for my lunch. I do love them, and they fill me up so much, but they take so long to eat! Which is OK I suppose if you have a normal lunch break, but I am usually in a meeting/ doing marking/ getting resources ready for the afternoon etc, so a long lunch is not so good! Anyway, these contained spinach, balsamic, grated carrot, courgette and beetroot (all stained by the beetroot though), roasted pepper, artichoke, chickpeas, hummus, extra carrot sticks for dipping, and pine nuts. I had then with a couple of pumpkin seed ryvitas, and some fruit (although mostly I ran out of time to eat the fruit)- very summery.

This afternoon I spent some time cooking in the kitchen, as in the week I ate the last of my freezer stash of these Mexican casseroles (they were loosely based on a recipe from Oh She Glows, but I am not sure they are really a casserole at all). It is one of my favourite meals- roasted celery, peppers, red onion, quinoa, tomato, sweetcorn, some kind of beans (?), spinach, a little chilli, and then served with salad and avocado. Mmmm. I know I have mentioned it before but I think I am getting a slight avocado addiction (quite a few times on holiday I would pay to have it added to a sandwich or meal). How did I think I didn’t like them for so long?

After pottering around this morning (or watching the elite races on the TV) I went out for a run in the sunshine. It was great, but I was so hot! I only wore a vest and capris, and I wasn’t expecting it to be that tough. I suppose when it gradually warms up you have time to get used to it. I did a 6.6ish mile loop, slower than recently but it was good to be outside getting some fresh air. I made pancakes for when I got home- I added some chia seeds to the batter, and used apple and blueberry puree in them which made a nice change, and the last of my lovely Meridian mincemeat.

Well done all you marathon runners too! I loved watching it on the TV, and each year I find it so inspiring.

Time for iced tea!

Hey peeps- I am very excited about this wonderful weather. I have decided that ignorance is bliss, so I might not check the weather forecast any more (breaking the habit of a lifetime) and just imagine that it will continue like this for the months ahead.

This morning we were up early for a Saturday (6.30) to drive up to Silverstone as Andy was driving an Aston Martin (he got it for his birthday last year and had to cancel twice due to torrential rain and then snow)- we stopped at Ikea on the way home, which of course turned into a two hour shopping trip. Then we popped to town to get a couple of bits, and neither of us could resist a Starbucks. They now sell re-usable cups (for £1 or free if you have a gift card) so I got my free one, and that gave me 25p off my drink (and from now on if I remember to take it with me)- plus this week they donate 25p to a clean water project each time someone uses one- every little helps.

As the sun has come out, it is the perfect time to start enjoying cold drinks instead of hot tea all the time. I was sent some Welch’s juices to try, and they have been great now the weather is warmer.

The Purple and Rose grape light versions are “juice drinks”- water, juice, sugar and a little sweetener, but they have fewer calories than neat grape juice. I think it is a shame they add in the sugar, as the grape juice is sweet enough. Saying that, I really liked the Rose grape (my fave of the three), but on its own it was too sweet for me. I would either have it with some water and lots of ice, or as iced tea.

The White Grape and Raspberry drink was very refreshing as the raspberries added a tartness to it, although again this was a juice drink so made up of water, grape and raspberry juice, and some sugar. I have seen on the website white grape with peach, which sounds so summery.

My favourite way to drink it was as a fruity iced tea.

Any fruity tea would do, but I have some lovely strawberry and kiwi tea at the moment, so I used that. I made up the tea (using hot water), left it to cool, and then had a mixture of half tea, half juice, and then as much ice as I could get out of the ice cube tray.

I bought myself an iced tea cup on holiday (well it is a plastic Aladdin cup with screw on lid and straw).

I also had it with black iced tea. On holiday I would have iced tea unsweetened, but it does go well with something fruity in there too.

I used a Twinings Black tea with Echinacea, as they have a hint of cherry (or something like that) but plain black teabags would be fine. Again, make up the tea (I don’t leave the teabag in there too long), leave to cool, then mix with the grape juice and plenty of ice. It really is so refreshing. I made this up on Wednesday when I got home from work, and had it to drink when I finished my super tough Sweatshop run (tough because I was tired/ had not run for 2 weeks/ it was very windy). Very refreshing. Anyway, I liked these drinks, although I think it is a shame they add sugar to them. But I would prefer to have sugar than artificial sweeteners and as I don’t drink fizzy drinks they make a nice change as the weather warms up.

How have you been making the most of this weather? We walked to the allotment in the week and picked some daffodils, and I need to go and plant out some onions either today or tomorrow. I also want to plant some seeds in pots, as hopefully they will germinate now it is a little warmer. Plus a run in the sunshine is on the cards for tomorrow.

Are you an iced tea fan? I must admit even though I love tea I never liked the sound of it, until I was persuaded to try some while on holiday- now I love it!

Also, GOOD LUCK to Lara (who is running the London Marathon), and of course anyone else running this weekend 🙂